After meeting with Kennedy to discuss his retirement, Trump reportedly focused the search to replace Kennedy on the 53-year-old Kavanaugh.

After meeting with retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy to discuss his retirement from the highest court in the US, Trump came out of it focused on replacing him with Judge Brett Kavanaugh, according to Politico.

Even though he was considering other judges such as Thomas Hardiman, Amy Coney Barrett, and Raymond Kethledge for the nomination, Trump was zeroed in on Kavanaugh, who was Kennedy’s former law clerk.

Trump has credited Kennedy for giving him the opportunity to transform the Supreme Court and give it more of a conservative bend, according to Politico. That will now happen if the 53-year-old Kavanaugh, who once clerked for Kennedy, is confirmed.

Despite being criticised for being too close to the Bush administration, Kavanaugh’s judicial credentials and record were what attracted Trump to Kavanaugh, the report said. Already impressed with Kavanaugh’s judicial background, Trump was all but convinced that the DC Circuit Court judge was the best person for the job after his conversation with Kennedy.

The report said that Trump all but reached his decision on Kavanaugh this past Friday, despite not making it official until Monday night in the East Room of the White House.

“There is no one in America more qualified for this position, and no one more deserving,” Trump said of Kavanaugh on Monday night.

In remarks he gave after his nomination was announced, Kavanaugh offered a nod to the Supreme Court justice he’s expected to replace, saying “The framers established that the Constitution is designed to secure the blessings of liberty. Justice Kennedy devoted his career to securing liberty.”